Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1887-09-03
ARTESIAN WELLS.
An Interesting Geological Ar
Iicle On the subject.


to Nevada appears in the Reno
Journal:
There is no subject more deserv-
ing the intelligent attention of the
| people of Nevada than the subject
of '.Artesian Wells" The great re-
frigerator lying West of the State in
the form OF the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, has been and ever
Will be condenser of the moisture
freighted inland by the winds and
in the clouds from the Pacific
Ocean. This Western section of
the continents vertebra will con-
tinue storer of moisture in its
reservoirs OF ice and snow, to the
exclusion of all that portion of the
State East of the Eastern slope or
declivity of the mountain range.
The equilibrium of the forces of
nature provided and necessary for a
copious rainfall within the State, is
so interfered with by these noun
tains that no dependence upon a
more bountiful supply in the future
can he placed in the causes now at
work tending to that end, such as
planting trees, cultivating and irri-
eating the soil. These well estab-
lished facts in natural law, should
call forth the best efforts and ener-
gies of the people of the State in
providing such means as we pos
sess for overcoming these natural
environments of our State; the
means necessary are at hand and |
hope within our reach, in a thor
ough and properly regulated system
OF irrigation by surface water and
water from artesian wells. The
whole of our State is within the
radius or belt affected by the con-
ditions above mentioned, it would,
therefore, properly be the work OF
the State to provide the water for
proper irrigation. Systems of ar
tesian wells can be provided for the
irrigation of all portions of the
State capable of cultivation, where
surface water cannot be had for
that purpose.
L am we'll aware, with our limited
knowledge of the State, the trend
of its bedrock and the depths of
superintendent detritus matter,
that no reliable data could now be
given of the probable depths in
many parts of the State necessary
to secure a flow of water from
wells, out one condition necessary
for ready and comparative esti-
mate of cost, depth, availability and
utility of artesian water, is ever
present in the mountain ranges of
the State. In order to illustrate
the possibility of an artesian well
system, 1 will take for the purpose
the mountain range South of and
parallel to the Humboldt river.
In tina. portion of the State there
is no perennial streams south of and
flowing to the river, from Humboldt
Lake to Gravelly Ford, an approx
innate distance of one hundred and
seventy miles, and there is but
very little, if any, Water now flow
ing into the river from the north
side, between the points named ;
yet the river maintains its volume
of water to the lake. In no other
way could the river retain Its vo-
lume of water but by under drainage
from the mountains overand through
Vic OCo-lOOA Vi lLIC SOdhtl II
these subteranean streams were
tapped by wells the waters now pas
sing off over the bedrock would be
brought to the surface at small cost
per we'll and lands irrigated, the
productive capacity of which has
not yet entered the mind OF most OF
our people. For the purpose OF devel
oping a system of wells along the
line indicated, proper knowledge
OF the subject is necessary for intel
ligent work, in order that money
may not be improperly expended.
To that end it would be necessary